Clutch construction



Aug. 30,1927; 1,640,752

G c. CARHART CLUTCH CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 7, 192:; 2 Sheefs Sheet 1 A TTORNEYS Patented Aug. 30, 1927.

UMT os rArEs PAT-JEN GEORGE c. CARHART, or SYRACUSE, NEW YoRK, 'ASSIGNOR 'rorn'own-L rn GEAR commnmor SYRACUSE, nawgonnn oonronArion or new roux;

cmrroir oonsrnuorron;

Application filed Kovember 7, 1923. Serial No. -673,247.-

V one form of clutch embodying my invention,

the contiguous parts of the transmission gear casing being alsoshown. r I Figure 2 is a front elevation of the operating sleeve of the vclutch.

Figure 3 is. a front elevation of thebearing cap, of the transmission gearing, which partly supports said bearing sleeve. This clutch construction comprises gen erally a shaft, a memberslidableaxially of V the shaft, means for shifting said member, and a support for the rear end of the shaft, as a bearing supported in the front wall of the transmission gear casing, the shifting means including a part shiftable axially of the shaft, and supported partly on the shaft and partly on the support,- that is, thetransmission gear casing or the bearing cap;

The clutch may be of any suitable form,

size and construction, that here shown being a disk clutch, comprising driving and dr ven elements, connected by' nterleaved disks, a

pressure member for compressing the disks,

and operating means for withdrawing said pressure member and releasing the disks. 2 The driving element 1 is usually the flywheel of the internal combustion engineof a motor vehicle, such driving element 1 being formed with a cylindrical recess 2, in which" is located a member 3, liked to the fly-wheel in any suitable manner, this member 3 hav ing one series of disks 4 slidably interlocked therewith, in any well known manner. The driven element comprises ashaft 5 having a Hot bearing of any suitable construction in the driving element 1, and a member 6 mounted on the inner end of the shaft to rotate therewith, and having a series of disks 7 interlocked therewith, and inter leaved with the disks 4, in the usual manner.

The disks are compressed to engage each other by a compression member 8 shiftable' axially of the ,shaft 5. The ..compression member may be of any suitable form, size and construction and it is shifte'din onedirection to'con press the disks, so that,they engage and the clutch is on by a spring or a series of springs 9 interposed between the back plate 10 and theinner end walls ofthethimblesll, earried by the member 8. The back plate 10 is secured to the driving element 1.

The shaft 5is supported at itsrear end in the front wall 12 of the transmission gear ,5; casing, in axial alinement with the driving shaft 18 of the transmissiongearing, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, and 1s ournalled in a bearing 12? in such front ther includes a bearing cap14, this cap} 14 being secured to the front 112 of, the transmission gearing case, and having a tubular portion encircling theshaft 5,5 The bearing cap, as here illustrated, hasa base flange at 15, secured to the front wall 12 of the gear case in any suitable manner, as by screws 16. The bearing cap also has a forwardly extending sleeve or tubular portion 17; r The means for shifting the member 8 against the action of the springs 9 to disengage theclutoh, comprises .a part supported partly on theshaft 5 and partly "on the bear ing cap or the tubular part thereof, this part being usually a sleeve 18 havinga front portion encirclingthe shaft 5 and a bearing 19thereon, and a rear portion slidable lat 20-011 the tubular poi tion'17 of the cap 14; The sleeve 18 is connected to thefpressure' member 8 in anysuitable manner as by, [a

' wall. The transmission gearing case furthrust and a journal bearing consisting of.

inner and outer rings 21 and 22',"thrusting respectively. against the inner end ofthe sleeve 18 and the member 8, and antifriction members or balls 23 between the rings, the

inner'ring 21 thrusting against-a shoulder 24, interlocked with the inneipend' of the sleeve 18, and the outer ring 22 thrusting against the inner margin of the memberv 8-.

The rear portion 20 of the sleeve 18 isslidmeans as a yoke 28, having arms as 29,

I thrusting against laterally extending blocks or lugs 'o n the sleeve 18. The sleeve 18 is also formed with an oil duct l8 ileading from its interior through its periphery and arranged to discharge into a panor deflector 23 which feeds the oil to the bearing or the balls 23 and the .raceways therefor in the rings 21, 22.

In automobile construction, the transmission gearing case is usually provided with a fiange or housing as 81, which is boltedor otherwise secured to the engine casing, so that, the transmission gearing is unitary with the clutch and engine casing. By mounting the shifting sleeve 18, partly upon one section of this unit, that is, the shaft which is carried by the flywheel of the engine, and partly on the transmission gearing case, instead of on but one of these two parts, the alignment of the'sleeve 18 is maintained and also any tendency to bind more orless is avoided so that the sleeve operates uniformly at all times. i i

p The clutch construction itself forms no part of this invention. The features of this clutch form-the subject matter of my co-pending application, Sr. No; 695,360, filed February 26, 1924.

What I claim is:

1. The combination'of a clutch including a shaft, a member shiftable axially of the shaft and means for shifting said member and a transmission gear case having a bearing for the rear end of the shaft and a bear ing cap mounted on the case and'including a tubular portion encircling the shaft, the shifting means comprising a sleeve slidable axially on'the shaft and on the tubular portion of the cap, the sleeve enclosing the tubular ortion of the cap.

2. The combination of a clutch including a shaft, a member shiftable axially of the shaft and means for shifting said member and a transmission gear case having a bearing for the rear end of the shaft and a hearing cap mounted on the case and including a tubular portion encircling the shaft, the shifting means comprising a sleeve slidable axially on the shaft and on thetubular portion of the cap, said member being formed with an oil duct for supplying lubricant to theshaft and to the bearing between said member and the tubular portion on which it slides.

.3. The combination of a clutch including a shaft, a member shiftable axially of the shaft and means for shifting said member and a transmission gear casehaving a hearing for the rear end of the shaft and. a hearing cap mounted on the case and including a tubular portion encircling the shaft, the

shifting means comprising a sleeve'slidable axially on the shaft and on the'tubular portion of the cap, said member being formed with a reservoir for the lubricant and an oil duct leading therefrom to the interior of said member and arranged to supply lubricant to the exterior of the shaft and exterior of said tubular portion.

4. The-combination of a clutch-comprising a shaft, a throw-out member shiftableaxially to the of the shaft and means for shifting said member, a support for therear end of the shaft, the throw-out member comprising a sleeve slidable on the shaft-and-slidable on and enclosing a portion of the support and means associated withthe throw-out member for supplyinglubricant to the periphery; of the-shaft within the throw-out member and the periphery of the support on which the throw-out member slides.

5. The combination of a clutch comprising a shaft, a throw-out member 'shiftable axially of the shaft and means for shifting said member, a transmission gear case having a bearing for the rear end ofthe shaft and a projecting tubular portion surrounding the shaft, the throw-out- 'member including a sleeve having a bearing on-the shaft in front ofthetubular portion and also a bearing on said tubular portion, the sleeve'and the proiectingportionof the bearing cap. being 11 throw-out-member including a, sleeve having a bearing on the shaft in front of the tubular po'rtionand also a bearing onsaid tubular portion, the sleeve and the projecting portion of the bearing cap beingslidablyinterlocked to hold the sleeve from turning and the sleeve being provided with, a lubricant container and a duct. leading therefrom to supply oil to the periphery of the shaft and the periphery of: the tubular portion.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, and State of New York, this.

3rd day of November, 1923.

enonen o. GARHART. 

